jackofdiamonds

Sad news BFD, however ther is a thread in General Discussions (now page 20) if you want to look.

Sorry John, must have been typing at the same time Have to get onto my old mate John to amend his website.

You are correct Abbott, Joe's terrible accident was on 20/10/1995 at Bordesley Green. Joe had moved to Ellesmere Port following Newcastle's closure and was incidental in bringing the league title to the Gunners, ending with a magnificent 10.5 average. Ellesmere Port closed before the 1995 season and has not re-opened. A benefit meeting was held for Joe on Boxing Day at Thornton Road, the last ever meeting. Joe was not lost to speedway entirely as he was Newcastle's Team Manager in 1987. Certainly one of the finest riders ever to don a Newcastle race jacket.

My programme 20/7/65, Long Eaton v Newcastle quotes " yellow/green archer ".

Thanks Frigbo and Brough, your help greatly appreciated. Keith

I appeal to the knowledgable and helpul historians out there. The following riders are listed as being Newcastle riders between 1946 and 1951. Does anyone know which year(s)? Ken Alick Phil Day Ken Kirby Peter Lloyd Len Nicholson Harwood Pike Ray Ridley Fred Rogers Vic Sage Ken Thompson Walter Thompson Many thanks

Wemouth v Oxford 10 June 1980 - KO Cup 2nd round 2nd leg - abandonded rain. Heat 1 Perks Yeates DeKok Handley 67.2 3-3 Heat 2 Crockett Bowen Wigg Tulloch ef 68.4 1-5 4-8 Heat 3 Hack Corradine Pusey Ackroyd 68.8 3-3 7-11 Woodward and Harrison dnr. That seems to be the lot Frenchy, apart from the Long Eaton that Stevie is checking. As Long Eaton were not racing in 1980, what year was it?

As far as I am aware the Newcastle meeting was the first of the name and the heat formula. Handicap racing is of course not new but this variation was unique at the time. Held at Brough Park on 17 October 1966 the first winner was Barry Briggs with a 15 point maximum. The "reward" for winning a race meant a handicap in the next race of 30 yards, second 20 and third 10 with the first 4 heats off scratch. Peter Kelly quietly did the business and finished with 14 points, leaving a heat 20 decider. Ivan Mauger and Briggs were off 30, Sverre Haarfedt of 20 and Nigel Boocock from the gate. Briggo of course won the heat and the mantle of champion. 1st Barry Briggs 15 2nd Peter Kelly 14 3rd Nigel Boocock 11 4th Martin Ashby 10 5th Ivan Mauger 9 5th Mike Watkin 9 5th Alan Butterfield 9 8th Svere Haarfeldt 7 9th Dave Gifford 5 9th Bluey Scott 5 9th Charlie Monk 5 9th Cyril Maidment 5 13th Gordon Guasco 4 13th Russ Dent 4 15th George Hunter 0 15th John Dews 0 Reserve Goog Allan 6 Reserve Alan Paynter 0 1967 Anders Michanek 11 Ivan Mauger 11 Olle Nygren 11 Nigel Boocock 11 (run off) 1968 Rained off 1969 Not held

Coventry v Birmingham British League 31 May abd rain Heat 1 Olsen Bastable Busk Kudrna 64.0 5-1 Heat 2 Molyneux Hawkins Jensen Grahame ef 69.4 4-2 9-3 Sheffield v Cradley BL June 26 abd rain Heat 1 Wilson Sampson White Penhall ef 68.4 4-2 Heat 2 Stead Teromaa Featherby Lohmann ef 69.4 3-3 Heat 3 Collins Wyer Kroese Grahame 68.6 3-3 Heat 4 Broadbelt Gundersen Featherby Lohmann 69.6 3-3 Heat 5 Wyer Penhall Sampson Kroeze 68.6 3-3 Heat 6 Wilson White Gundersen Teromaa 69.4 5-1 Heat 7 Grahame Broadbelt Collins Stead 69.6 2-4 Heat 8 Sampson White Featherby Stead 70.0 2-4 Heat 9 Wyer Gundersen Kroeze Teromaa 71.6 4-2 29-25 Wolverhampton v Halifax British League 5 Sept floodlight failure following crash in heat4 Heat 1 Bastable Carter McKeon Burton 62.6 3-3 Heat 2 Pendlebury Pyszny Crockett Cribb ef 65.1 1-5 Heat 3 Carter Janke Eide Morton 64.9 1-5 5-13 Scunthorpe v Stoke National League 12 August abd rain Heat 1 rerun Teager Stead Burton ef Browning f/x 77.7 3-2 Heat 2 rerun Wilding Mortimer Lightfoot Jeffcoate f/x 77.9 2-4 Heat 3 White Sawyer North Woffinden f/r 72.1 3-3 8-9 Oxford v Middlesbrough National League 6 July abd rain Heat 1 Havelock Wilcock Perks Bowen 63.5 1-5 Heat 2 Dixon Reading Passey Crockett 63.8 1-5 Heat 3 Courtney Hack Pusey Ackroyd 62.8 2-4 Heat 4 rerun Harrison Spink Crockett Dixon f/x 63.1 4-2 Heat 5 Wilcock Ackroyd Hack Havelock 62.7 3-3 Heat 6 Spink Harrison Perks Reading 62.8 3-3 Heat 7 Courtney Harrison Pusey Crockett 63.4 2-4 Heat 8 Havelock Dixon Bowen Crockett nf 67.5 1-5 Heat 9 rerun Spink Ackroyd Hack Dixon f/x 67.0 3-3 20-34 If this is ok I'll add further details when I can.

Paul Candy 4 February 1980 Basingstoke Hants

Of interest to those of us of a certain age I would imagine. I've found quite a lot of sites dealing with speedway both general and club basis, and find the majority to be fascinating . Which ones do you go back to and therefore recommend to the rest of us. Feel free to mention any you may be involved with.

A Picture of You by Joe Brown and the Bruvvers always takes me back to my first season at Brough Park in 1962. Diamonds by Jet Harris and Tony Meehan has been our signature tune since 1963.

No. 9 Gaz.

I see you have your Dad's Leicester race jacket on Ebay. For those who don't venture there, 11 bids have currently been received and the current bid is £100.00 Good luck.

1976 watching Newcastle. I was going to a lot of meetings that year,and it was great going away and knowing you were likely going to win. Unbeaten at home, 13 away wins and 1 draw from 17, a superb team led by the fabulous Owen brothers. Joe 11.78 and Tom 10.31.

First meeting of Newcastle's 1962 season. Never went in 1961, although I could hear the bikes from my house. Went with a friend, had no idea what it was all about, but it only took one race. From that day my favourite rider was Brian Craven who for years had I thought won heat 1. It wasn't until years later when I was cataloguing programmes I realised that honour went to George Glen of all people, no doubt shepherded home by Gil Goldfinch in second. April 23 1962 NEWCASTLE 47 Goldfinch 9 Glen 9 Craven 12 Penniket 1 Wilkinson 10 Dent 3 Andrew(s) 3 BRADFORD 31 Roper 4 Jenkins 3 Hickman 8 Bruce 1 Pymar 7 Day 2 Gerrard 6

I believe Frank also rode for Liverpool in 1960.

Tom Blackwood - 1968 Berwick 12 mts 38 rds 24 pts 3 bps 3.37 av 1969 Berwick 4mts 14rds 6pts 0bps 1.71 av

Martin Cusworth also had 4 outings for Newcastle in 1976. Andy's dob 20 April 1957.

Frank definitely rode for Wigan in 1960, although only open meetings took place, and the track did not open in 1961.

Not much help, but a bit of background. Around the middle of the 1983 season, Newcastle was plagued by injuries. Clayton Isbel had impressed team manager Dave Younghusband who planned on signing him. However, it seems he preferred to try his luck at Belle Vue. It seems he must have returned to Aussie, as he finished third in the Western Australian Solo Championship in 1985/86 and 1986/87.

Sad news, not too well known that Willie and Doug were welcome guests in Newcastle's 1961 Provincial League team, when we were in the process of building a team from scratch.

Daniel John Halsey 15 September 1988 Aylesbury Bucks. Samuel Melvin Hurst 28 April 1989 Southampton Pawel Hlib born Gorzow Poland Daniel Lee Hodgson 21 January 1982 Bradford. Ben Hopwood 13 March 1991 Salford. David Haigh 12 December 1984 Whitehaven. Gavin Hedge 30 January 1971 Norwich. James Horton 22 June 1985 Slough Bucks. Jamie Holmes 19 November 1979 Exeter. Chris Hunter 12 March 1984 Middlesbrough. Thanks to the Tempus Yearbooks.

Ian also rode for Brafield in 1966, not sure if he did the following year.

The last season was 1967 when the splendidly named Badgers last rode. In 1966 the track reopened under the promotion of John La Trobe, and as stated, a short season was run with challenge matches against league "B" sides. "Homes of British Speedway" states Malcolm Shakespeare (1968) and Frank Smith (1971) used the track for training. Brafield also operated in 1954 when they came second in the Metropolitan League, and in 1955 when they were third in the Southern Area League both under the Brafield Flying Foxes banner. John has more info from ex riders and photos on the worth seeing defunct speedway site.